Perhaps reflecting the growing tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the Ukraine crisis, Ford Focus deliveries plunged 54% in April to 2,549 units. Year-to-date Focus sales retreated 51% from like-2013 to 10,923 units....More

“The long-awaited flattening of year-on-year sales trend has yet to happen,” an industry spokesman says. “We hope December will show progress in this direction, and deliver a decent close to an otherwise difficult year.”...More

A government official says the significant hike in state aid is related to the continuing decline of the Russian market, adding there are no plans to provide direct financial support to automakers because of World Trade Organization restrictions....More

Improving purchasing procedures and the quality of parts sourced from Russian-owned suppliers, as well as increasing parts localization, are among the main tasks of the alliance’s partnership with AvtoVAZ....More

Industry official Joerg Schreiber says there are indications the rate of decline peaked in the second quarter, and “a gradual improvement to the point of stabilization in the coming months” can be expected....More

Sales of two new-era Datsun models launch in 2014 in India, Indonesia and Russia, followed later in the year by South Africa. The brand targets an “optimistic” middle class in those emerging markets....More

The agreement between Bogdan and JAC results from a special import duty on new cars with 1.0L to 2.2L gasoline engines that was introduced by the Ukrainian government in mid-April and is intended to protect domestic auto makers....More

The auto maker is considering strengthening ties to its partners Renault and Nissan. But those companies are in no rush to grow the relationship, developing their own projects in Russia instead....More

Electric cars simply are more convenient than gasoline cars and will only become more so. My electric car is always full. This is because I plug it in every night. I almost never have to take it to the garage, because upgrades/fixes are downloaded overnight....More